Today in Tribe History: May 19, 1910

1910 – Longtime Cleveland pitcher Cy Young notches career win number 500 as the Naps defeat the Washington Senators, 5-4, in eleven innings, becoming the first and only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to accomplish the feat.

Young spent his first nine seasons of professional baseball with the Cleveland Spiders of the National League from 1890 to 1898, winning as many as 36 games in 1892. After moving on to the St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals franchise for two seasons, he jumped leagues to the Boston Americans for the American League’s inaugural season as a rival of the NL. He spent eight seasons with the club, who became the Red Sox in his final season there in 1908.

He returned to Cleveland in 1909, this time with the Naps at the age of 42, after a trade with the Red Sox for Charlie Chech, Jack Ryan, and cash. He went 19-15 in his first season back in town in 35 games and threw 30 complete games. He was 7-10 the following season and was 3-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 1911 when he was released and returned to Boston, this time with the NL’s Rustlers, where he went 4-5 to conclude his 22-year MLB career.

The next closest person on the all-time win list is Walter Johnson, who won 417 and is the only other member of the 400+ win club.